An Enchanted Adventure
by Tuiteyfruity
Summary: Princess Kendria is the daughter of a sorceress. Because of this no one wants to marry her so her evil-stepmother arranges an "incident", to entice princes and knights to rescue, and marry her, but it does not go according to plan. She is forced to team up with the most unlikely person, and travel to unlikely places, including the Enchanted Forest itself.
1. Chapter 1

**In which Princess Kendria fixes a cauldron.**

Kendria, princess and only child of King Marius of Poltaken, shouldt done anything particularly wicked for years. The princess should have put two and two together. No marriage proposals was the perfect opportunity for an act of evil.

That act came in the form of a giant, which appeared in the township Kendria had been sent to, because her step-mother was in sudden need of a pot only crafted there. Kendria had been annoyed at being sent on such an errand, but was glad for the chance to get some time away from the castle. She had just made the purchase when the giant appeared.

After pillaging the town it captured her. Like a proper princess, with the proper training, Kendria screamed. She screamed good and loud as they left human civilization behind. Then she was thrust in a sack, along with all the good the giant had collected from its raid. She remained silent until they reached the giantYou are a prison of the Dobbilan, Princess," he bellowed, looking rather imposing. "Do not try to escape, or you will be punished." Then he smiled, finished with the formalities, and added "Sorry about the rough ride princess, I know it

"Yes, I heard you had retired!" said Kendria. He did look older than she had expected, and worn out from such an easy pillaging job.

"I owed your father a favor. Though I didn't expect him to wait so long to finally ask it of me!" explained Dobbilan

"It was not my step-mother who requested my kidnapping?" She had been so sure.

"I do recall his majesty mentioning that this was not his idea," chuckled the giant. "But I thought it a good one, it's been a long time since we've had a proper company. We still get the occasional thief. They used to come like clockwork every three months, but, since I stopped pillaging, people seem to have the impression I don't accumulate treasure anymore."

"I can't imagine you never get visitors!" said the princess.

"Oh, we get visitors. Mostly relatives. But royalty, not so much."

A loud knocking resounded around them.

"Let me guess, relatives?"

"Either that, or someone is trying to knock down the door," said Dobbilan, getting up to answer the door, lingering long enough to add "You know, I sort of hope its the latter."

Kendria wasn't alone for long, through a side door burst in a giantess. She was adorned in a flour covered apron, she was also splattered with what looked like pink frosting. The giantess looked very distraught, then spotted Kendria on the table.

"That wasn't the door was it!?" she asked.

Kendria nodded.

"Oh dear, of all the times for him to finally arrive the day he said he would; of course it had to be this one!" the giantess exclaimed.

"Who?" asked Kendria.

"My nephew, Mettarid! You must be Princess Kendria of Poltaken, welcome to our home, I am Ballimore."

"I am honored to meet you," replied Kendria. "Why is his being on time a bad thing"

"This morning, just after Dobbilan left to fetch you, my cauldron of plenty started to malfunction. It wasn't an issue when it was just the three of us for dinner, since I could simply use the normal pot."

"I am surprised you don't stock enough food for one more giant," noted Kendria.

"Of course I do dear, but Mettarid has twelve heads! And I strongly suspect that each has twelve stomachs! Without the cauldron, he'll eat us out of house and home!"

A twelve headed giant!? Kendria had never heard of one before. How did that even work?

"What is a cauldron of plenty?" asked Kendria.

She loved magical items. Her mother, before she died, had taught her some magic. After she died, her father forbid her from continuing her education. He never knew that she bribed the court mage to give her lessons.

"It's only my prized possession!" declared Ballimore, "It makes an almost infinite amount of whatever I desire!"

"How does it know what you want?"

"Once I've cooked a particular dish in it, it knows it forever, and all I have to do is wish for it and add a little water and heat!" explained the giantess, then she looked pained, "But it's broke! Everything comes out burnt or raw!"

"May I see it?" requested Kendria.

Ballimore stepped closer to the table and looked down at her curiously. "Knowledgable about enchanted cookware are we?"

"Do you want to find out?" goaded the princess.

"You can't make it any worse I suppose," said Ballimore, picking Kendria up and taking her to the kitchen.

The first thing she saw was a lit stove, and a very ornate pot the resting on it. Next to the stove was a simple black cauldron, much larger than the pot. To Kendria's surprise, the counter was occupied by all sorts of desserts, most notably, a beautiful five layer cake with pink frosting.

"How did you make all this without the cauldron!?" Kendria asked.

"I didn't," sighed Ballimore "For some reason, it is able to make dessert now. Never did before."

"Why?"

"So many questions," said Ballimore. When Kendria looked concerned, she added "That's a good trait, one should not take things at face value in this world. When I first got the cauldron, I let Dobbilan attempt to make dessert. I shouldn't have, he had no idea what he is doing. He can't tell sugar from salt!"

Kendria laughed; Ballimore smiled.

"Anyways, for some reason he tried to make mint custard, and sour-cream and onion ice-cream! Not only did he fail, he burnt it. I tried to teach it other recipes, but it never worked."

"Sour-cream and onion ice-cream!?" Kendria said in disbelief, "You're kidding."

"I am not. But now it won't make any sort of proper food, and for the life of me I can't figure out why!"

"Maybe I can, put me down next to it," Kendria instructed.

Ballimore did as she requested. Kendria walked right up to the cauldron. She could feels it's magic before she touched it.

There was definitely something wrong. The magic was, broken? Incomplete? She didn't know enough about how magic worked to really assess the problem. However, she thought she knew how to fix it.

Placing both hands on the cauldron, Kendria whispered a few words, a simple magic boosting spell. The cauldron shook, and Kendria was blasted with a jolt of magic. The force would have sent her flying had Ballimore not caught her.

"My dear! What happened!?" Ballimore asked, kneeling next to her.

Kendria shook herself. That shouldn't have happened. It had rejected her spell! It was like it didn't like the spell. Or maybe, it didn't like her trying to perform magic on it.

"Ballimore, I need you to be touching the cauldron while I try again!"

"Are you sure you want to do this again?"

"Yes, I think you're cauldron is just... Not accustom to others using it."

"It works for dragons, I've lent it out to them before."

It did not surprise Kendria that Dragons, being some of the most magical people in existence, did not evoke the same reaction she had done. From the tales she had heard, they were immune to most enchantments not designed with them specifically in mind.

"Well, I'm not a dragon."

"I suppose not," and Ballimore placed a hand on the cauldron.

This time, when the cauldron rumbled, it was different, and it didn't send back the spell.

"Do you think that did it?" Ballimore asked.

"Only one way to find out," said Kendria.

Ballimore gripped the sides of the cauldron, and picked it up. It didn't fit on the stove, but she had a large fireplace in the opposite wall; she placed the cauldron there.

After pouring some water in and starting the fire, she started to stir.

It was immediately clear Kendria had been successful, the smells coming from the cauldron were intense and amazing, and not dessert. With Ballimore clearly occupied with her current task, Kendria walked back to the dining room. A ladder was set up against the table, leading to her seat, so she climbed back up.

A few minutes later Dobbilan returned, followed by an enormous giant with twelve heads. Each head was identical, and when it spoke, each one said one word.

She greeted them both.

"A princess uncle? I thought you had retired?"

"This one is special," Dobbilan smiled.

"She certainly is!" proclaimed a happy voice belonging to Ballimore.

She came into the room with platters of amazing food, gracefully placing them on the table.

"This one just repaired my cauldron! Just imagine Mettarid, if not for her, you would have starved tonight!"

It took a few more trips, but eventually all the food was brought out and they enjoyed a wonderful meal. Ballimore had been right, hew nephew ate almost half the food, and still had room for many of the desserts.

When everyone had finished Ballimore cleared the table.

Dobbilan requested that Kendria dance for them. She obliged, having expected the request long before now. After being sufficiently entertained, Dobbilan showed Kendria to her quarters.

It was clearly a room built for captive princesses, Dobbilan was much to big to enter the room, but still extremely large. Even the furniture was a bit oversized. The giant suggested she look out the window. It overlooked the courtyard, which was full of beautifully cut hedges and an impressive variety of flowers.

"There is a washroom through that door," said Dobbilan, who was looking into the room, and pointing at a door inside. "And a closet through that one."

"Thanks," said Kendria, "I didn't expect do be so well accommodated!"

"There's a reason many were sad to hear of my retirement princess. I was not known for being sloppy or uncaring,"

The giant was cut off by loud, indiscernible shouting.

Dobbilan cringed "That would be my wife, we shall see you in the morning. I wish to hear you sing!"

"I hope I do not disappoint!" said Kendria cheerfully, "Goodnight."

Before going to bed, Kendria washed up. The closet was well stocked with nightgowns of all sizes. She selected a light pearl one that was especially soft.

It was very stunning, for a nightgown, and she could not resist admiring it in the mirror.

The pearl of the gown complimented her honey-blond locks, which shimmered as it fell around her rosy cheeks.

This was all so exciting, being the captive of a giant. She was sad it might not last very long. But this was all to find her a husband. Some prince or knight would come to rescue her. It might take a few, but eventually one would get past Dobbilan, and perhaps Ballimore as well, and win her hand in marriage.

It was the only way. A rescuer got more than just her hand. there was a substantial reward involved as well with this sort of arrangement, a reward worth much more than any dowery would have been.

And she had done her part; screaming loud enough to make sure the news of her capture was spread fast.

She sighed, removing her thin golden crown, placing it on a nightstand. At least I got to have one adventure before it was too late, she thought, extinguishing the lights and sliding under the covers of the canopy bed.

It was an hour past midnight when she was woken by a strange noise. Blinking she looked around the nearly pitch-black room. Her eyes adjusted enough for her to see a figure moving around.

Someone was in her room! And it didn't sound like a prince.


	2. Chapter 2

_**In which Kendria meets a dragon, and something precious is stolen.**_

From the sound of the person's footsteps, which were barely audible in the first place, they were not a prince or knight. If they were, they would be wearing armor, which would be making lots of noise. This mean that whoever they were, they were not here to rescue her.

Kendria reached for the nightstand to light the lamp, but noticed something else. Her crown was missing. She realized who was in her room.

"Stop! Thief!" she cried, moving to jump out of bed.

The thief was faster and moved to hold her down, covering her mouth to prevent her screaming again. She struggled against him, managing to kick in hard in the chest. He staggered back, clutching his stomach.

"You're one of them Jack fellows!" she exclaimed. "A petty thief! I'll see that Dobbilan eats you!"

"I am not!" coughed the thief. "A petty thief, sniveling princess!"

"Oh really?" sneered Kendria, "Then what's your name?"

The man paused before answering.

"Jack…" he finally said, Kendria snorted. "But that is pure coincidence! Those pathetic Englishmen don't know the first thing about stealing! They come here and win the sympathy of the giantess then run off in the night! Where is the challenge in that!?"

"You're sneaking in here at night, avoiding all contact with the giants! You are no better than them."

"I am much better than them! I am the youngest Master Thief in the land! No one should know that I was here until I am long gone!"

"Why should a master thief be bothered with giants?"

"This giant currently possesses something the guild wants, and I was assigned to retrieve it."

Kendria was about to say something but Jack cut her off.

"They are fully aware of the irony in sending me here. I imagine they are having a good laugh back at headquarters."

"How did you even get in here? This place is enchanted to the foundations! There is a reason the Jacks use the front door."

"Thief magic is special," he said, smiling in the dark, " We don't tend to enchant things or ourselves, but learn to manipulate the spells of others. Not a lot, just enough for us to slip past any traps or protections."

"I guess that makes sense," said Kendria.

A loud thumbing suddenly reached them. That could only mean one thing.

"You foolish princess, look what you've done! You've woken it!" Jack cursed.

"Yeah, well now you'll get what's coming to you- HEY!" exclaimed the princess as Jack grabbed her.

She was not skilled in any sort of fighting, but Jack was. He put her in a hold, and drew a dagger, placing it against her throat.

"You make a sound, and you die!" he ordered, "I'm not going to let myself be giant food!"

Kendria nodded, but had to work hard to resist. Tears were came to her eyes as the cold blade pressed against her skin.

He pulled her along with him out of her chamber. It just as dark everywhere else, but Jack seemed to be able to move confidently. She could try and use magic to escape, but he might get mad and kill her anyway. She wasn't confident enough in her skills to fight against him.

They made slow progress, going through each massive room. Kendria did not ask where they were headed.

"Please let me go, I won't scream!" pleaded Kendria, trying to stay quiet.

"You can't fool me princess."

"What do I have to gain by your death!?" she managed.

Jack sighed, "You are slowing me down, but don't you dare run off! I still don't trust you."

He released her and she fell to the ground, sobbing and wheezing quietly. She looked around, now that she could.

They were in the kitchen, right next to the cauldron of plenty. Jack was looking at it, like it scared him somehow.

"What in the gods names is that!?" he asked.

"It's just a cauldron!" gasped Kendria.

"A cauldron that could explode the moment someone tries to cook in it! It may go off even if it's left alone!"

"What? No, I just fixed it!" said Kendria.

"It's got an infinity matrix! But it's badly inverted, and overloaded!"

"I did not realize. Can you do something?" asked Kendria

"Why should I?"

"I'll scream if you don't!" she threatened.

"You wouldn't! You promised!"

Kendria stared him down, and he conceded.

"Fine!"

It only took him a few minutes, and the use of something from his bag. When he finished he came right up to her. He was taller than she was, and looked down seriously.

"You owe me some key magical ingredients there, princess," he hissed.

"_If_ you survive this, I'll see to it that they are replaced," she assured him, as they moved on to the next room.

Eventually they made it to a long hallway with magnificent doors on either side. Jack seemed to forget about her now, and started behaving like she wasn't there. He crouched down, moving with such silence that, if she hadn't been with him, she wouldn't have known he was even there.

She just stood and stared. He had been telling the truth, he wasn't just some random Jack, sent by his impoverished mother to gain fame and fortune; he was a real thief, a trained thief. Sometimes she lost him in the shadows, it was so dark in here.

Then, he disappeared under a doorway.

"Hey!" she called, and followed him.

It was a storeroom; full of common, and uncommon items. Each corner was filled, and every shelf was nearly toppling over with the amount of items it was being forced to carry. She suspected they were reinforced with magic.

He was ignoring the gold, magic swords, rings, and amulets; climbing up one of the piles of items to get onto a shelf. Kendria lifted her nightgown enough to let her struggle up after him.

As she pulled herself up, she saw him stuff something in his bag. Then the door handle rattled.

Jack turned to her.

"What did you do!?" he cried.

And he kicked her off the shelf.

She was caught in strong hands, giant hands. Dobbilan had arrived. He placed her back on the shelf, and lit a lamp, casting shadows around the room. The light hit his face, making it look menacing, even in his nightcap. He breathed out and in, in a celebrate fashion. Jack backed away. So did Kendria.

"Fe Fi Fo Fum," He bellowed. "I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread."

His voice had dropped an entire octave, and Kendria almost cried in fear. Jack, on the other hand, seemed unimpressed at the musing of a being a over three times his size.

"Shows what you know! I'm not English!" he shouted.

Dobbilan raised an eyebrow. "Then what is your purpose here, human? I doubt you are here for my dear princess. Though, it concerns me that she is with you."

"I'm not here for your stupid girl! I have my own business!"

"It seems like that business it mine as well, since this is my house!" Dobbilan growled, "And I do not think you should call anything that is mine, stupid."

He was right, Kendria had since forgotten her fear, and was now annoyed. Jack had insulted her too many times. It was time to do something about him.

"What do you think should be done with him Kendria?"

"He is not English, so it would be improper for you to grind his bones. I think I should just banish him. He may die anyways, I'm not that good with spells," she suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea,"

Jack was now looking at her with fear in his eyes. She raised her hands, muttering the spell that would send him far away. Then he leaped at her, just as she finished casting.

"You didn't think getting rid of me would be that easy!?" he said.

But she had finished the spell; only he had done something to it. His cursed thief magic, he had modified it! She felt herself being transported away, still attached to him.

When they landed, it was in a place just as dark, but much warmer. They were surrounded by smooth, warm stones. In fact, they were glowing softly. Where were they?

"Princess?" whispered Jack, "we have to get out of here. Now."

"Where are we?" she asked, not whispering.

"Be quiet!" he hushed, taking her hand and leading her away from the stones into the cold cavern.

Something moved behind them. Kendria turned around. Above the stones, on a rocky outcrop, was a dragon. They were in a dragon's cave! In a dragon's nest! The dragon opened its eyes, which gleamed softly. It smiled, revealing sharp, white fangs.

"Why did you take us here!?" demanded Kendria.

"I didn't! Your spell was meant for one person, I made it take two. We're lucky we didn't end up in the rock wall!" he said, "But we need to go now! Either run, or transport us again!"

The dragon was moving.

"THIEEEEVESSSSSSS" it hissed, crawling down to get in-between them and the eggs. Its tail flicked madly about.

"My apologies, dragon!" cried Kendria, "A simple, transportation accident, we did not mean to come here. We did not come to steal from you."

"Then what is he doing with THAT!" demanded the dragon.  
Kendria instinctively looked at Jack.

He had just put an egg into that blasted bag of his. _It must be a bag of holding! _Realized Kendria. But that wasn't the issue, he had just stolen a dragon's egg. They were ash for sure.

"And you called me stupid!" she bellowed. They started running through the caves. She was so mad she would have hit him until the end of his days, but she was a little preoccupied with not being burnt to a crisp.

"Still not stupid, princess, Kendria was it?" he said thoughtfully. "I have you with me, and you can still get us out of here. Just cast another spell."

"You think it's that simple do you!? I'm not some mage who performs on command! And you didn't have to steal the egg!"

"Oh yes I did! I didn't get what I wanted from the giant, thanks to you. This egg will assure I am made a Master Thief!"

"I thought you said you were," she breathed, it was hard to shout at him while running from a fire-breathing dragon. " 'The youngest Master Thief in the land!' As I recall."

"Well, if I completed my mission I would be. This is just as good though, I am sure committee won't mind it not being exactly what they requested."

Somehow the made it out of the caves, and began running down the mountain side. It was much brighter outside, due to moonlight, but they were still being followed by the dragon.

Then more roaring could be heard, though very distant. More dragons! There was no way they could run fast enough to avoid them all. The first one, once it exited the cave, had taken to the air, and began to breath fire down upon them.

Kendria threw up a simple ward, but it was taken down quickly. Her magic was no match for dragon fire. Jack was right, she had to use magic to get them away, not to fight.

They dived behind a large bolder. She took his hands in hers, glaring into his eyes. He knew that if she could, she would leave him here.

She muttered some words, this time keeping in mind that she wasn't transporting alone.

They vanished.


	3. Chapter 3

**_In which our heroes make some practical decisions and meet some interesting creatures._**

Once again, Kendria had no idea where they were, but it was somewhere very beautiful. They were in a very small grassy clearing surrounded by forest. The grass was tall, and stunning even though it was unkempt. The trees around them looked impossibly lively, and bushes and shrubs grew in-between with reckless abandon. The sun was rising, sprinkling amazing colors onto the foliage.

She let go of Jack and stood up. Jack stayed on his knees, he was looking through his bag.

"Well, I got us away, now it's your turn. What do we do now?"

"I don't know about _we_, princess. I'm taking this to the guild headquarters," he said as he produced the dragon egg from the bag. It was as large as Jack's head, and in the light it had no glow, but a sheen to it.

"Oh no you don't! It's your fault we're in this mess, you're getting me home!" she demanded, then checked herself. If she returned home without a prince or knight at her side, she would be shamed. "Actually, I need to get back to Dobbilan's!"

"What?"

"The giant's castle! I need to get back."

"Go back!? That's stupid, you've escaped! Why on earth would you go back to your prison?" he asked, putting the dragon egg away and standing up.

Kendria looked at him indignant. "My father used a hard earned favor to get me in there; I was waiting to be rescued by my true love!"

"Too bad. I'm not risking my life just so you can find "true love", deal with it. Find your own way back." said Jack.

He turned his back and started walking into the forest.

Kendria stood in the clearing, astounded at this man's behavior. Had he grown up in a dump? She was a princess, he shouldn't be allowed to treat her like this! But there was no one here to stop him. Out here, on her own, she was helpless. The little magic she knew wouldn't help her forever. She knew she had been lucky with her spells so far, transporting without a destination was risky.

So she fell to the ground, and began to weep.

A chipmunk ran out of a nearby bush and stood in front of her. It's nose twitched curiously.

"Dear dear. A girl lost in the forest! Lost, lost in the forest. Waiting for a prince I expect."  
Kendria nodded, continuing to sob.

"Good thing I came by. Good thing. Can't have you waiting for long. No, must keep on the move hear. Must keep on the move," it spoke very fast.

"But, I have no idea where to go!" cried Kendria.

"Oh dear oh dear. Then we must find a prince fast! I can do that! I can. Done it before, yes yes,"

Just then Jack returned looking very annoyed.

"Oh look princess! A prince. I am good, very good, told you, told you!" it jabbered excitedly.

Kendria stood back up, no longer crying. The chipmunk leapt onto her shoulder.

"He is no prince, he is a thief! He stole me from a giant, and then stole an egg from a dragon!"

"A thief with a heart it seems," he said, "You aren't going to just sit and cry until some monster finds you are you?"

"Stole a dragon egg! NO NO. Bad," squeaked the chipmunk, "They will find you, and he will help! You are not safe here. Not safe here!"

"Who will help?" asked Jack, concerned.

"The king! The king! Of The Enchanted Forest! He is friends with the dragons. He sees all that happens in the forest, he will find you. He will find you!"

"The Enchanted Forest!?" exclaimed Jack in horror, "Are we in The Enchanted Forest!?"

"Yes, in the forest. In the forest!"

"This is worse than the dragon cave," he hissed, "Do you know a way out?"

"Never been out, never. Know people who have!" said the chipmunk.

"Can you take us to them?" asked Jack.

The chipmunk chewed it's paws and rubbed his face nervously.

"I should not be helping you. If the king finds out!"

"Please, we mean no harm. Just help us find someone who will help us, can you do that for me?" asked Kendria, as politely and calmly as possible.

The chipmunk beamed.

"Follow me!" it said, jumping from her shoulder and away into the forest.

They ran after it.

"How long do you think we can go undetected?" Kendria asked Jack.

"Without magic? Not very long. Luckily, I know a concealment spell that works to shield one from magical detection,"

"So you do know spells!"

"I didn't say thieves didn't learn spells, we just don't learn as many compared to learning how to use the enchantments of others."

"So cast the spell!" ordered Kendria.

"I can't! It's not a simple incantation, it takes ingredients. That I don't have!"

"Are you sure? Have you checked your bag lately? You could have anything in there," sneered the princess.

"I know what's in my bag! We'll have to get the ingredients the old fashion way."

Without warning, Kendria's gown caught on a thorny vine, and she stumbled forward.

"Cursed nightgown! It isn't proper for a princess to be running around in such a thing!"

Jack ran to her, examining the rip in her gown. It ran down her thigh. She pushed him away.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

"Making sure you didn't get pricked by a thorn! Can't have you fall asleep or something like that," he said, irritably.

"I'm not cursed! No dark fairies attended my christening. But thanks for the concern."

"My concern was not for you, I didn't want to deal with a curse," huffed Jack.

"Then I take back my thanks. I wish I was cursed!"

"If we don't get out of this crazy forest, you might just get your wish. Where is that rodent?"

The looked around. It was nowhere to be seen. It must have continued on without them. They were well and truly lost now, and without a guide. Jack leaned against a tree.

"I don't suppose you have map of this place in your bag?" asked Kendria.

"If I didn't it wouldn't help. This is The Enchanted Forest. Maps are useless because it changes every day," He explained. "We could be right by the edge this moment, wait long enough, and suddenly find ourselves in the very center of this place."

They agreed though, that they should get moving. They walked slower now that they weren't trying to keep up with a chipmunk. But they ran into more obstacles. Rocky outcrops and marshes. And they couldn't risk going through the latter.

"I wouldn't mind so much if I was in proper clothing. My gown is ripped, and my slippers are nearly in shreds!" declared Kendria, after an hour.

They reached the top of a small hill and spotted a small cottage a little ways down.

"The thing about The Enchanted Forest," said Jack, "It tends to know what to move, and where to move it."

"You mean that cottage was moved here because we needed to find it?"

"Or we were moved, either way, I think we should see if anyone's home," suggested Jack, heading towards the building, fast.

Kandria leapt forward and held him back.

"What if it belongs to an evil witch! Who will stuff us into the oven!"

"It's not made of candy!" noted Jack, but he continued more slowly down the hill.

It was a really quaint little house, thought Kendria. It was surrounded by a wooden fence, with a colorful garden. It was also small, not meant for a human inhabitant. A sign on the gate read: Otto's Oddities Open 7 Days A Week.

They opened the gate and walked up to the door, crouching slightly. Jack knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door was opened by a wood elf. He was dressed in simple but nice robes. He took one look at them, his long ears twitched and he sighed.

"Welcome to Otto's Oddities. I am Otto. If you are here for advice on a quest I cannot help you, please be on your way and find a dwarf or gnome, they usually know about such things," said the elf, then started to close the door.

Kendria moved to hold the door open, "We are not on any quest, sir elf. We are actually interested in purchasing some oddities! If you would be so kind as to let us in."

Otto's expression brightened considerably. He opened the door all the way and invited them in. Once through the door, they could stand up properly.

"Oh, I am so sorry, of course come in. Look around, or do you know what you want already?"

"As you can see Otto, I need a proper outfit, this one just won't do," said Kendria.

"I have a large selection of garments for the female adventurer in the back!" he said.

"Oh, I'm not an adventurer, I'm a princess! I need a gown!"

"But you are running around the forest, how fast did what you are wearing now, last before you ruined it?"

Th elf was right. She looked down at herself. It wasn't just ripped, it was discolored and wrinkled. She didn't need a dress, this wasn't time to be pretty, it was time to be practical. She let herself be lead to the back of the store.

Otto returned to help Jack.

"And what does the good sir need?" Otto bowed.

Jack was flattered, and did not correct Otto's mistaking him for nobility.

"Do you have magic items? For instance, ingredients one would need for spells?" asked Jack, not looking at Otto, but around the shop.

It was full of random items, some even Jack could not put a label to. What a haul he could bring in from robbing this place! But he knew when and where to steal, this might be a great place, but it was not the time. He was already running around with stolen items. Adding more to his bounty was not smart. He turned his attention to Otto when he was asked a question.

"Can I inquire as to what you need them for?"

"No. But I do not intend to enchant the girl," answered Jack. "if that's what you're worried about."

"Then follow me," said Otto, taking them to a back room.

The collection of magical ingredients was large, almost concerning, but Jack wasn't one to question how others obtained things. Not when most of his possessions had come to him in through dubious means.

It took him a while to find the ingredients, and Otto left him to it. He left to adjust whatever outfit Kendria had picked out.

When they had finished shopping Otto calculated the price. That was when Jack realized he had no money. The elf was about to throw them out in a furious tirade when Kendria had an idea.

"Wait, what about a trade!?"

"Trade?" asked Otto.

Kendria removed her earrings. They had been given to her by her father for her 16th birthday. They were gold, with perfectly cut diamonds.

"That covers the outfit, but the magic ingredients are a bit more expensive,"

Kendria plunged her hand into Jack's bag of holding. He protested but she didn't take notice.

She knew her crown must be in there. She felt something cold and made of thin metal, it was her crown! She drew it out of the bag and waved it in front of the elf.

"Does this cover the cost?"

Otto's eyes grew wide, indicating that it was more than enough.

"Yes, thank you for shopping! Come back anytime," he said, waving them goodbye.

Once they had walked a good distance from the cottage, Jack prepared the spell for them. It was very involved, Kendria was at a lost to each step contributed to hiding them.

Eventually he completed the set up, finishing by sprinkling powdered Nightshade claws on each of their heads. Jack then instructed her on where to stand and what words to say. She said them, loud and clear, focused on wanting to be hidden. The dust started to sizzle, but did not show any indication of combusting. For a moment they were engulfed in a blue light.

When the spell was finished the dust was gone, the ingredients that Jack had organized around them were gone too.

They both breathed easy for the first time that day. Though they were far from safe, at least they were hidden.

However, they were not invisible.


	4. Chapter 4

**_In Which Kendria and Jack Encounter a Wizard and Find a Lot of Trouble_**

They walked all the rest of the day without any incident, which worried them when they stopped to make camp for the night. Jack chose what Kendria felt was the most uncomfortable spot in the entire forest, a very uneven rocky outcrop that was at the top of a hill. He said they needed to have the high ground.

The princess was about to ask what they were going to sleep on when Jack pulled out a sleeping roll from his bag.

"Just one?" asked Kendria.

"We're not going to be sleeping at the same time, one of us has to keep watch," said Jack.

"And the other gets no sleep!?"

"No, we take two shifts. I'll first and wake you up when it's your turn," said Jack, in a way that told Kendria she was asking very naïve questions.

"I don't have a nightgown!" she said. She didn't care if she was acting foolish, now she just wanted to irritate Jack.

"Too bad," he said, "I'd get to sleep princess, your shift is in four hours whether you sleep or not,"

Before she got into the sleeping roll she had Jack re-cast the stealth enchantment. Re-casting was always easier, it took less material and just a few lines of poem, plus it didn't take any concentration.

Feeling as safe as she was going to get, Kendria let herself fall asleep.

Being on watch was boring, but Jack had something to pass the time with. Reaching into his bag he clearly pictured what he wanted and felt it land in his hand. He held up the object to view it in the small amount of moonlight that shone through the trees. If he was correct in his thinking, it was a Gyges Ring. He had half-lied in the dragon's nest, he had managed to steal what he had been sent to.

Or at least he thought. He hadn't gotten the chance to confirm it; it could just be a normal gold ring. If that was the case, Jack hoped the dragon egg would make up for it.

The guild head had been so excited to learn the whereabouts of the Gyges Ring, and Jack had thought he had been dreaming when he was offered the mission to retrieve it. His failure would cost him the trust of the guild. He wouldn't get blacklisted, but he would never get a contract again.

He put the ring back in the bag, it was risky to have it out too long. The guild head had warned him that it reeked magic, though most people couldn't sense it, but anyone that could was not someone you wanted aware of your location.

Jack didn't know how he was going to explain having a princess with him. Thieves weren't supposed to steal princesses from giants, that was a job for princes! Maybe they could ransom her?

Kendria was woken by someone kicking her side. It scared her so bad she scrambled out and was about to run when she realized it was Jack. The thief was so tired he didn't make any response to the princess shouting at him for how he had woken her.

He also forgot to take his bag with him, leaving it out in the open. Kendria noticed it halfway through her watch, and decided that it couldn't hurt to see what else Jack had with him.

It was magic, no doubt, it was to small to hold a dragon's egg and everything else she had seen him pull out of it. She opened the bag, it looked empty, but it was very dark out. Kendria reached a hand in.

She screamed as her arm was pulled all the way into the bag. She tried to pull it out, letting go of the bag as she did so. As it fell to the ground the rest of her was pulled in too.

There was no up, no down, no direction at all, and no light or sound, except for her own breathing and heartbeat. It barely felt like there was air at all, though she breathed, she didn't' feel any air resistance when she moved her arms and legs. This was bad. Kendria was completely powerless to do anything. She would have started crying, but there was no point, it wouldn't have helped.

She just lay suspended, too scared to even move.

Suddenly a hand grasped hers; she was pulled forward, and out of the bag. Sound and light returned to her so violently it shocked her for a few moments.

It was still dark out, and Jack hadn't started a fire, but it was so bright compared to where she had come from, she could see Jack very clearly. She could even the details of his face, and he was very angry.

"I'm sorry!" Kendria started to say.

"You were going through my things!"

"So, most of that stuff isn't rightfully yours!" spat Kendria.

"Actually, it is! I don't hold onto everything I've stolen, but it does hold everything I own!"

"I-I was just curious!"

"So you stuck your hand in a magical item that you don't know how to use!? Don't princess get taught anything useful?"

_No, _thought Kendria, _He's lucky I know the little magic I do._

Now she cried, not loud and pathetic, but deep and quite.

"Now what?" asked Jack.

"You're better off just ditching me," said Kendria through her sobs.

"What?"

"I'm useless, a liability, and you're was skilled and knowledgeable. I don't know why you're keeping me around."

"Well I can't leave you to die!" said Jack, sounding truly astonished.

"Why not!"

"Cause I stole you! It would look bad on my reputation as a thief if something I stole was damaged while in my possession!"

Kendria laughed, unable to tell if he was being completely serious.

"Come on, neither of us is going to get any more sleep, we might as well keep traveling," said Jack, helping her up.

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" asked Kendria.

"Don't worry! With my brains and your good looks, we are sure to succeed!" said Jack, definitely joking around now.

It was slow going in the dark; they could only have a small light source to not attract attention. But eventually the sun began to rise, sending its warmth and colors to the two weary travelers.

It didn't seem like they were any closer to making it out, but they weren't getting discouraged. Like before, the forest felt much less foreboding in daylight.

However, even in the middle of the day the roar of a dragon would make the bravest warrior soil his armor, to say nothing of a princess and a thief. They had been found!

"But how did it find us!?" wondered Kendria aloud as they ran in the opposite direction of the terrible sound. It was still far away, but it would see them soon.

"Damn it!" hissed Jack, "We forgot to re-cast the spell!"

Jack plunged his hand into his bag, taking out the bottle of powder. He threw some in the air, repeating the couplet hurriedly. They both coughed and sneezed as it flew in their faces.

"We need to find some cover!" said Jack.

"What kind of cover!?"

"Any kind!"

"Got it!" exclaimed the princess and she pulled Jack off their path and under thick bramble.

They were able to lay low enough o avoid the thorns, but Jack had gotten a face full already.

"Why'd you do that!" he said, tears streaming down his face from the pain, "You could have warned me! We had plenty of time!"

"Sorry."

"Next time think it through!"

"I'm glad you think there's going to be a next time."

"Oh for you definitely, dragons are more likely to make slaves of princesses than eat them, unfortunately the same thing cannot be said about thieves."

They went silent when another roar reached their ears. At one point they heard the beating of powerful wings overhead, but they faded away. It still roared every so often so they didn't leave the safety of the bramble.

Footsteps came from nearby, making Kendria and Jack tense up. Soon they saw the feet that accompanied by them, they landed right in front of the bramble and were covered in very fine shoes. The end of a wooden staff touched the grass next to them.

"I know you're in there, so you'd better come out," said a man's voice.

They both scrambled out to find a wizard smiling at them curiously. He wore long robes of brown and blue and a brown hat. His long beard was brown too, but was starting to grey, hinting at his age.

"What have we hear? A lost princess and her prince perhaps?"

"We're just travelers," said Jack.

"Or maybe you're the thieves everyone's been talking about?"

Jack kept a straight face but the wizard took one look at Kendria and knew he was right. The surprise on her was face was easy to read.

"So you stole a dragon egg? Bit stupid of you don't you think? Now all the dragons are looking for you two, and they will find you," said the wizard.

"Not if we make it out of this forest!" said Jack.

"Ah, but the forest isn't going to let you go, not as long as you have that egg."

"How do you know?" asked Kendria.

"I have dealt with dragons before, many times in fact, I doubt you can make the same claim. "

He smiled at them again, his teeth were unnaturally straight and white. Then he started pacing. Every time he lifted his staff off the ground, it left a black patch, perfectly round like the end of the staff.

"You're both as good as dead, you're no match for a dragon I assure you," he continued, "So I'm going to make you an offer, give me the egg and I'll point you the way out of here."

"but then you'll be trapped here, because you'll have the egg!" said Kendria.

"I said 'you're trapped' not 'I'm', I'm a wizard and you are not!"

"He's right Kendria, I'm going to give him the egg."

The thief reached into his bag with both hands and drew out the egg, it was still warm to the touch. Carefully he handed it to the wizard, who took it with one hand, not letting go of his staff.

"Now, which way is out?" demanded Jack.

The wizard pointed with his staff to his left.

"If you walk that way for a while you'll come across a brook, follow it, going upstream and that should lead you out," he said, then he lifted his staff and became engulfed in bright smoke. There was a loud popping noise and more bright light. When the smoke cleared he was gone.

Jack started walking in the direction the wizard had indicated. Kendria followed.

"Jack, why'd you do that? Now you don't have anything to show the guild!"

Jack said nothing for a second, deciding whether to tell her or not.

"Better to be alive, we were being hunted by dragons, the guild elders will understand."

They walked for at least an hour, but never came across a stream. They realized that the wizard must have lied to them.

"I'm an idiot! How could I think to trust a wizard! I gave away a dragon egg for NOTHING!" Jack shouted.

"We were scared and desperate, under the circumstances you can't be blamed," encouraged Kendria.

Jack just sighed and sat on a rotting tree stump.

"We can't lose hope now! Come on! We've got to keep moving!"

"I think you'd better stay where you are!" came a booming voice from above.

Looking up they saw a griffin. It landed nearby and the man riding it stepped off. He looked young, maybe twenty, and he had the blackest hair either of them had ever seen. Resting on his hair was a golden crown. The griffin sat on its haunches and waited. Jack had never heard of anyone who could tame a griffin, let alone ride one.

"Who are you?" asked Jack.

The man drew out his sword, holding it at Jack's throat.

"Hey!? What do you think you're doing!?" cried Kendria.

"My name is Prince Daystar, of the Enchanted Forest, and you are coming with me, I believe you have something that doesn't belong to you. Come peacefully and you wont have any trouble."

_Oh dear,_ though Jack, _I really messed up_. He looked at Kendria and knew she was thinking the exact same thing.


End file.
